PORTSMOUTH – When Bill Buckley and Tom Pray met it was nothing short of fate in every sense. The two, both owners of local businesses, found an instant connection in their backgrounds, beliefs and common core values of sustainability.

The timing was perfect, too.

Buckley wanted to train in karate, which Pray teaches, while Pray wanted to practice the Taiji and Qigong that Buckley is passionate about teaching. Now they both offer their services, as well as yoga, under one roof at Gateway Taiji, Qigong & Yoga studio on 875 Islington St. It’s a sort of one-stop shop for martial arts and meditative healing-based exercise.

“This is unique,” Pray said, who has been teaching Shotokan karate since 1987. “You don’t find that blend of teaching anywhere.”

Gateway Taiji, Qigong and Yoga is a center for practicing and exploring the ancient energy arts. Its large studio provides a spacious, sunlit, inviting environment for ongoing classes and special seminars in a renovated mill building. A major focus of the renovation was to improve energy efficiency. The original concrete and asphalt roof was replaced with a lightweight foam and rubber solution. The exterior walls were filled with the same foam. These improvements are expected to substantially lower the building’s heating costs. The lights in the new studio are all LED, further reducing the building’s energy footprint. The space also operates on solar power. Last but not least, students learn and practice in a 100-year-old historical site given new purpose and life.